


Everybody's Scared, So Dance in the Dark

by DaniJayNel



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, Mentions of Blood, Oneshot, Sunday challenge fic, Vampire AU, vampire Ymir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 23:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20016670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniJayNel/pseuds/DaniJayNel
Summary: In the past, vampires and humans lived in evolving chaos: each tearing at the other's throat. When they eventually settle on a treaty of peace, they split the continent. Eldia becomes the home for humans, and Paradis that for vampires. Between them is a giant wall. It is forbidden and illegal for vampires and humans to even interact. It is unthinkably taboo.Ymir is a half vampire, half human smuggled over the wall into Eldia for her own safety. Her existence is leaked to the media and she becomes a curious sensation since she shouldn't even exist. Her stardom is all that secures her right to stay alive.Ymir moves to Sina City to finish her last year of high school, and there she meets a curious little human named Historia. Despite their differences, they form a bond, and later, much more.





	Everybody's Scared, So Dance in the Dark

Ymir wasn’t allowed to ever wonder off on her own, and she always had to have her guard, Jack, standing watch nearby. Ymir had a suspicion that Jack was there to watch _her_ , not watch out for her. But that was fine, Ymir understood. She was the only person of her kind living a normal life in Eldia and she knew a lot of people were still afraid of her.

But, she was actually more nocturnal. Humans slept through the night, so Ymir had to adjust to staying awake through the day and sleeping for the few hours that she did, at night. When she wasn’t sleeping, she snuck out and walked through the streets.

It was risky and it was stupid, and if Hange found out she would be super pissed, but Ymir hated how restricted her life was. She wanted more freedom.

She had moved here to Sina City just a week ago, because Hange never wanted her in one place for too long. Ymir had been living in Eldia since she was 4, and she still couldn’t get used to the way people feared her, how the people protecting her could get so frantic. Sometimes she wondered if they were just keeping her so that they could do experiments later on, but she knew Hange genuinely cared for her. Apparently Hange had raised a half vampire kid before, but he had been snatched by some secret organization and she hadn’t seen him since.

Ymir shoved her hands into her pockets. It was cold out, but she never felt it. Her core body temperature was double that of the humans, so even in the coldest winds, she would wear the thinnest tank top she could find, and no bra. Ymir hated bras.

It was exceptionally quiet in upper Sina. The houses were big and generously spaced apart, and the park in the centre of the neighbourhood was well kept and gleaming. Ymir decided to turn into the park, and paused by the treeline when she spotted a lone figure by the swings. She sniffed the air curiously and caught a whiff of strawberry shampoo, lipice, mint chocolate, sweat and the salty tang of tears. Ymir could see her clearly even through the dark. It was a girl, and she sniffled lightly as the chains of the swing creaked every time she moved.

Ymir also caught the tantalizing smell of her warm blood, and her fangs extended slightly and she knew her eyes had probably gone a darker red, but she was in complete control of herself. Hange had conditioned her for years, and she was sure even if she never had blood ever again, she would still be able resist attacking someone for it.

Somehow the girl sensed her, and her head snapped up in Ymir’s direction. Ymir was in the dark by the trees, but her eyes burned bright red and were incredibly obvious. The girl shot to her feet, gasping, and Ymir immediately closed her eyes and then hid behind a tree. She figured she should probably leave, but she felt irritated. For once, she wanted someone to look at her and not see a monster.

Taking in a measured breath, Ymir moved over to the swings too quickly for the girl to see her. She silently sat down on a swing and studied the girl, who was staring into the trees, frightened. Her small hands were clenched into tight fists and she was shaking. Ymir could hear the thundering of her heart, smell the anxiety and fear on her. Ymir’s nose twitched.

“I won’t hurt you,” she said softly, carefully.

The girl jumped and her eyes flew wide. “How… you…?”

Ymir gave her a toothy grin, remembered her fangs were out and quickly closed her mouth. The girl had gone so pale she looked like a ghost, and the thin nightie she wore didn’t help.

“Relax,” Ymir told her. She didn’t dare move and kept her hands clutching the chains of the swing. “I just came here to chill. My name is Ymir. What’s yours?”

The girl swallowed. Her eyes darted around, like she wanted to run. Probably would, and should, if she was smart at all. Instead she surprised Ymir by sitting down on the swing farthest from her. She was so short.

“Historia,” she answered.

Ymir scuff her boot against the hard soil. “That’s an odd name. Guess we both lucked out,” she said sarcastically.

“What does it mean?” Ymir looked up at Historia, surprised. “Your name?”

Ymir fought with herself. She didn’t owe this girl shit. She never had to treat her like she was a scared animal. She wasn’t at fault for what she was. Yet, there was something about Historia that made Ymir long. She smelt the sweetness of her shampoo, and the chocolate on her lips, and her chest tightened.

“In vampiric legend, our first Queen was named Ymir. She created us from her own blood, and for a long time she was worshipped. No one knows if she’s still alive. So, yeah. Since I’m a unique creature, guess my mother thought the name was fitting.”

Historia was shaking a little less. “Oh, you’re her? The half vampire?”

Ymir’s lips pressed together in a thin line. “In the flesh,” she retorted. Her fingers closed harder around the chains until they groaned from her strength, so she quickly let them go before she broke them.

“Wow, you’re…” Ymir listened to the swipe of her tongue against her bottom lip.

“Scary? Grotesque? An abomination?”

“Really hot,” Historia corrected. Her colour had returned and her cheeks went a bright scarlet. Ymir could smell the blood and it made her hungry, but more just like a gentle craving. Like getting a whiff of a meal and remembering you should probably eat. Ymir wouldn’t eat Historia, though. Even if she definitely wanted to.

“Hot?” she tilted her head in confusion.

“Yeah, like… I’ve never seen a vampire before and all the adverts we see show them as these tall, ugly things but you’re very…” she cleared her throat, obviously embarrassed, “attractive.”

Ymir barked out a very loud laugh, nearly startling Historia off the swing. “The first thing you think of is that I’m attractive?”

“It’s difficult not to notice.”

“I’m a predator, Historia.”

“But you’re also half human. I’ve seen all the articles and stuff on you. You’re not dangerous.” She studied Ymir with crystalline blue eyes. Something about them made Ymir feel a bit uncomfortable, and her heart started to beat a little slower. It had never done that before. “Probably.”

Ymir flashed a grin, showing her elongated fangs. This is exactly what she wanted, someone to look past the pointed ears and dark skin and the very obvious vampire traits, but here she was, trying to convince Historia that she was more monster than anything.

“My fangs aren’t usually like this,” she told her casually. She ran her tongue along the pointed edge. “But when I’m around humans, they grow out. The smell of blood does that, and I can’t control it.”

Historia’s fear seemed to have disappeared immediately. She got up and sat down on the swing right beside Ymir, staring curiously at her teeth. “That’s so interesting, I didn’t know that. Can you smell my blood right now?”

Ymir closed her mouth and shifted on the swing. “Uh, yeah.”

Historia’s eyes widened. Ymir nervously looked at her, and she was immediately caught up in Historia’s curious blue eyes. “Does it smell good?”

Ymir couldn’t help it, she started to laugh. She slid off the swing and just convulsed on the floor as she laughed. Historia got down with her in concern, and put her hands on Ymir’s arm. Ymir sat up and looked at her.

“You’re very odd, Historia.”

Historia pouted. “That’s rude, Ymir. I was terrified when I saw you at first, and then you just appeared on the swing like a ghost. I nearly peed myself.”

Ymir hesitantly reached out and touched Historia’s small wrist. Historia didn’t flinch, but she let out a gasp.

“You’re so warm,” she marvelled, lifting Ymir’s hand to press their palms together. Ymir just let her, enjoying the physical contact that she was completely unfamiliar with.

“Jesus, you’re ice cold. Why are you out here at night in just that?” She gestured to Historia’s thin nightie.

“Oh, I snuck out and forgot a coat, I guess.”

Curious to see how far she could push it, Ymir pulled Historia against her front. They were both wearing thin clothing, and when their bare skin touched it almost burned. Instead of pulling away in disgust, Historia nearly melted against Ymir’s chest. She shivered and released a little contented sigh.

“I could lay here all night, you’re very warm.”

“Thank you. I could probably let you. I have a lot of stamina.”

Historia lifted her head to look at her. They were… incredibly close. There was something very reckless about the way Historia was looking at her and it made Ymir very uneasy. She craved this, though, and she didn’t want to do anything to scare Historia away.

“Why are _you_ out here at this time?”

Ymir’s eyes lingered on Historia’s pink lips. She felt herself flush. “I just wanted to walk around a bit. Jack is always on my ass about never sneaking out and it gets so annoying.”

“Who is Jack?”

“My bodyguard. She’ll strangle me if she finds out I’m here, though.”

“Why do you have a bodyguard?”

Ymir shrugged. “Humans are easy to scare, and I’m part vampire. Wherever I go, people, they…” She swallowed and looked away, not willing to let Historia see the vulnerability in her eyes. “They always assume the worst of me. I’m lucky to still be alive at all.”

“Wow, that’s… Ymir, I can’t imagine living like that.”

Ymir clenched her teeth hard. Her fangs were aching, as they always did when blood was near, but she was so used to it that it was very easy to ignore. The smell of Historia’s blood was really making her hungry, though, so she should probably go back home for a snack and try to get some sleep before school in the morning.

“I should go,” Ymir finally spoke. She extracted herself from Historia’s warm body and stood, dusting sand and grass from her pants. “It was nice meeting you, Historia.” She held her hand out.

Historia took it and hoisted herself up. She gave Ymir’s hand a hard squeeze. “You too, Ymir. I never imagined I’d ever get to meet a vampire.”

“I’m only half.”

“A half vampire, then.”

Ymir smirked, flashing her fangs. “But I’m full on awesome.”

Historia’s laughter was music and light. It made Ymir’s entire body tingle and in an instant Ymir knew that this girl would be the downfall of her if she let it happen. Vampires were… very obsessed with family and relations. Bonds were incredibly important in vampire tradition, and if a vampire fell in love, they fell in love for life. Ymir was only half of that, so she wasn’t sure how she would be if she ever did fall in love. But she had never reacted like this to someone before, and she immediately recognized it as attraction. She had always longed to have someone to call her own, but since she was little and she was torn from her mother’s grasp, she knew she had to accept the path of loneliness. Because of the thing that she was, she would probably die very old and alone.

“I think you really are,” Historia told her sweetly. She swept a lock of hair behind a pink ear.

Ymir started to turn, but froze. The acrid scent of cigarettes and beer assaulted her senses, and when she identified two male humans close by, her heartbeat nearly stilled. Her hunter instincts were blazing in her head. For some reason, Ymir never felt violent bloodlust towards girls. There was the subtle craving, sure, but she never thought about sinking her teeth into them and ripping flesh out. But men… they tested her patience, and she often had to snap herself out of growling at them like an animal.

Hange just laughed it off as Ymir being ultra-gay.

“There are two men nearby,” Ymir growled softly. “I don’t think it’s safe to leave you here alone.”

She felt Historia grab hold of her arm, and the touch helped to ground her. “Would you walk me home?”

The stench of them drew nearer and Ymir could hear their heartbeats. Their blood smelt sweet but tainted from the substances they used. She didn’t want to even see them, so she took Historia’s hand in her own and together they left the park. Historia directed her down the street and to her home, and Ymir offered to jump her up to her bedroom window, three stories up. Historia gaped at her.

“What? I can totally do it.”

Doubt flickered over Historia’s face, but soon she was nodding. “Okay, hot stuff. Show me.”

Ymir grinned. She pulled Historia into her arms, made sure she was secure, then jumped. She used one hand and grabbed hold of the windowsill, then effortlessly slipped Historia into the room. She hung there by the window and watched Historia brush her long hair back.

“You actually did it!”

Ymir cocked her head to the side. “You just shouted pretty loud.” She sniffed the air. “A man just woke up, and he’s getting out of bed.”

“Crap, that’s probably my dad. I should get into bed. I’ll… will I see you around?”

The man’s footsteps started down the hallway. Ymir smiled. “I hope so.” She dropped from the window and disappeared down the road. Jack was fast asleep in the hallway when Ymir returned, but startled when Ymir opened her bedroom door.

“Had to get a snack,” Ymir explained, lifting her bottle of blood and the chips in her other hand.

Jack exhaled. “Get some sleep, Ymir. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

Ymir nodded and did exactly that. After eating, she climbed into her bed and fell into an oddly deep sleep almost immediately. She definitely dreamt of Historia.

XxX

After Historia pretended to sleep and her father was satisfied and closed her door, she researched everything she could on vampires and Ymir. By the time morning came around and her alarm went off, she realized that public opinion was divided. Half the people of Eldia wanted Ymir deported to Paradis, and the other half thought she had a right to be here. People made crude, horrible comments about her and there were numerous conspiracy theories that she was actually full on vampire and not half, like the government “claimed”.

Historia had never met a real vampire before, but she had seen a lot of videos of them on Viewtube. Some kids snuck onto the walls and had encounters, and some people illegally entered Paradis as well. They usually lost their lives, but they live streamed until their camera or phone was destroyed. Some of the wall guards uploaded stuff too, sometimes.

Full vampires were… frightening. Historia knew in her gut that Ymir wasn’t like them.

Historia hadn’t slept much at all. Before her trip to the park, she had slept only 2 hours. She had to go to school, though, so she went through her morning routine, had breakfast with her parents and then got dropped off by her father. He kissed her forehead on her way out, told her to have a good day and then he was off.

Historia rubbed a hand over her face and hoped her makeup covered the dark circles under her eyes. She spotted the head cheerleader and the most popular girl, Hitch Dreyse, standing by the gate, and hurried past with her head down. They had been friends once, but once Hitch started dating the school heartthrob, Nanaba, at the start of high school and she became popular, her ego inflated. Historia was a little quirky, so people usually avoided her if they didn’t want to get lumped into the subcategory people had fitted her into.

She didn’t care. She had her books and her parents loved her, and she would make a success of herself after school, she knew it. She just had one more year and then she was free of this place.

As soon as the bell rang and they were in class, Ms Ral clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Good morning, everyone,” she greeted. She received a few scattered greetings back, but she didn’t seem to care. “Please sit down and stop talking. I have an important announcement. We have a new student starting today, but she’s a special student.”

Historia sat in the back, but she still heard Hitch and her group snickering at the word “special”. Historia hated that. They picked on everyone that didn’t fit the mould of “perfect” and “hot” and that was no way to treat others. Historia knew she was conventionally attractive and she got a lot of girls and boys approaching to ask for her number, but she wasn’t interested in that. In girls, yes. But relationships, no. That’s why she insisted on wearing her thick, dorky glasses. At least at school everyone thought she was a loser and didn’t care who her father was, so they left her alone—well, mostly.

Hitch thought her mean comments held weight, but they really didn’t. Historia was content with herself, so there were no buttons to even push. Except for, well, picking on other people. Historia could get very heated when she saw Hitch bullying someone in front of her.

Historia watched as a tall, extremely muscular woman in military uniform strolled into the classroom. At first the students all laughed, thinking this was it, but then Ymir strolled in behind her and every single person went dead silent. Historia’s heart kicked into overdrive and Ymir immediately looked at her. She grinned broadly, showing her elongated fangs, and some girls in the class screamed.

“Please, for the love of god, none of that,” Petra groaned, holding her ears closed. She unplugged her ears and glared at the girls that had screamed. “From today Ymir will be studying here until the end of the year. Please treat her kindly.”

Hitch’s hand shot up immediately. “Ma’am, why do we have to have that thing in class with us?”

Petra’s face went bright red in shock and anger. Ymir’s bodyguard—Jack, as Historia remembered—cut her cold blue eyes to Hitch. Ymir was staring out the window, clearly ignoring the upset around her. Historia’s heart immediately went out to her. She must have gone through this so many times. She feared for Ymir, for the bullying she knew would happen if Hitch had any say in it. She wasn’t sure if Ymir would fight back, and what that would look like.

“Hitch Dreyse, if I hear another thing like that from your mouth, I will have you suspended.”

Hitch seemed genuinely surprised. “But—”

“No buts! Ymir is a citizen of Eldia and she deserves every bit of respect you demand for yourself. So, class, please welcome Ymir. As you all already know, she is half vampire. No, she will not eat you. If you have any questions, you are welcome to speak to me after class. Who is willing to act as Ymir’s guide through the day and show her around?”

Everyone exchanged glances but no one volunteered. Historia’s hand shot up and she even stood, so eager to show her support for Ymir and also just greet her in general.

Ymir glanced her way, the red in her eyes shimmering beautifully. She was really tall and had freckles all over her skin, from her face to her arms. Her hair was just to her jaw and swept to the side, and her ears were slightly pointed. Historia remembered how warm Ymir had been, and guessed that she was probably always that hot. It was pretty chilly out, but Ymir only wore their uniform’s white button-up, tie, grey pants and black shoes. She didn’t have a pullover on, which was mandatory. Guess they let the rules bend for her.

“Thank you, Historia,” Petra said loudly and pointedly, smiling. “Ymir, you can sit next to Historia and she’ll show you around.”

Ymir gave Ms Ral a genuine smile. “Thank you, ma’am. I’m sorry about Jack.”

Petra swallowed, the only sign that she was a bit uncomfortable with Ymir. “That’s fine, I understand.”

Ymir started down the classroom to the back, and Jack followed her. The entire class stared at Ymir as she dropped down in the seat next to Historia and Jack leaned against the back wall, a hand resting on her hip.

“Jack comes to school with you?” Historia whispered.

Ymir slumped down onto the table. “Yeah. She has to follow me everywhere. Some kids like to mess with me, and they don’t want something bad to happen.”

The way she said it, Historia pictured Ymir biting someone’s face off. To be completely honest, the thought was a little dizzying, in that Historia was definitely into Ymir in a very romantic way.

“Also, hey again.” Historia grinned and rested on her arms as well. Ymir turned her head to stare at her. She smiled, the one that showed her fangs. Historia really liked that smile.

“Hey to you too.”

“We meet again.”

“I guess so. Are you sure about being my guide? People are saying pretty nasty stuff about you.”

Historia’s eyes widened. “Can you hear them?”

“Yeah. Actually…” She sat up and raised her arm. When Ms Ral noticed, she let her speak. “I just want to let the whole class know that I have incredibly sensitive hearing, so I can hear every little gross thing they’re saying about me right now. I really don’t care, but please keep it to text or just gossip later, out of my ears. Your voices are annoying. Thanks.”

Ms Ral seemed taken aback and the classroom exploded in laughter and jeers. Ymir flinched and covered her ears with her hands, then dropped her face back down onto her desk. She let out a long, suffering breath.

Historia gently patted her back and noticed the way people gave her shocked looks. They hadn’t stopped looking at them, probably wondering how she was so comfortable having Ymir beside her. Luckily, she didn’t care.

“My teeth ache,” Ymir groaned, almost like a little kid.

Historia wanted to laugh. “You’re like, sitting in a room of snacks, I guess.”

Ymir immediately barked out a laugh. The people closest jumped a little. A lot of students kept shooting them fearful looks and some had even moved their desks away. It was so… ignorant and stupid.

“I’m not hungry though, so it’s irritating.”

“Do you drink blood or eat food?” She couldn’t help herself, but she guessed that Ymir wouldn’t really care.

“Both. I need to drink blood occasionally just to keep myself balanced. I fucking love fries.”

Historia stared at the pointed edge of Ymir’s ear. “Hey, can I touch your ear?”

Ymir’s red eyes moved to met her gaze and her brows scrunched together. “Sure.”

Happily, Historia reached out and ran her fingertips over the tip. It felt just like a normal ear and she felt very stupid when she was done, but her curiosity was satisfied. “I’m sorry but I’m so fascinated by you.”

“You’re the first person that’s ever asked to do that.”

“Well, I might want to do stuff like that often.”

Ymir’s grin was sultry and it made Historia’s heart beat harder. It was terrible, knowing that Ymir could definitely hear it. “I can smell emotions too,” Ymir told her, tilting her head.

Historia’s face flushed. “Really?”

“Yeah. Fear, happiness, anxiety… arousal. They all have very specific scents.” She scrunched her nose. “Men smell the worst.”

Historia covered her mouth with a hand. “I really don’t like them either. In any way.”

Ymir flashed her fangs. “Oh. That’s good, me too.”

It was a silent confirmation that yeah, they were both very gay. It left some suggestions in the air between them, too, but Historia controlled herself and didn’t let an innuendo slip. She was pleased with herself for the victory.

The bell rang and the students all but fled, leaving Ymir and Historia as the last in the class. Ms Ral gave them a smile as they left, and then the long, difficult day began. In each class the teacher had to reprimand rude comments, but every time Ymir barely even registered what people were saying. She really didn’t seem to care, and Historia really admired that about her.

On their way to last period, which was on the third floor, Historia complained about sore feet. Ymir pulled her to a stop and gave her a little grin, one that Historia somehow understood.

“Ymir, you can’t.”

Ymir grinned wider. “Ymir, I can.”

Before Historia could say anything, Ymir grabbed her and jumped them to the third floor, effortlessly vaulting over the railing and settling Historia down gently on her feet. Students that had been walking by startled and gave them looks.

“Ymir, you jerk,” Historia complained, slapping her arm. Jack climbed over the railing seconds later, a scowl on her face.

“I told you to stop doing shit like that.”

Ymir stuck her tongue out. “I can jump where I want.”

“I’ll taser you without hesitation, asshole.”

Historia blinked, completely surprised by Jack’s open hostility. She and Ymir glared at each other, and then they both started to laugh and Historia allowed herself to breathe.

“Oh, so that’s normal then,” Historia said to them.

They both laughed at her. “Sorry, Jack. I just wanted to impress a pretty girl.”

Jack rolled her eyes. “Gays,” she muttered.

When they headed into class, Ymir bent down to whisper in Historia’s ear. “Jack is a lesbian too, in case you were wondering.”

Historia had been, and it was nice to get an answer. She only giggled and then led Ymir to her desk. Like in every other class, people stared and gaped and a lot of kids took their phones out. Ymir fell asleep before their teacher arrived, and Mr Mike smartly decided to leave her be. He seemed to be very unnerved, but Ymir was just… like a giant baby. She was fast asleep the whole class and only woke when Historia touched her arm.

“Class is over.”

Ymir vaulted up. “Shit. I fell asleep.”

Jack snorted behind them.

“Do you sleep through class often?”

Ymir yawned widely, flashing her sharp teeth again. Some kids watched her and many looked very curious, but afraid. When they saw her teeth, they quickly looked away. Historia wanted to touch them, but that was gross and she definitely would never ask to do that.

“I’m nocturnal,” Ymir answered. “So yeah. I only need like 5 hours sleep, no more. But I struggle to sleep at night and nap during the day when I can. I can be stubborn about sleeping, though. So I fall asleep in the day a lot.”

That explained why she seemed so lazy and uninterested in everything, too.

“Okay. I’ll take notes for you so that you don’t miss anything.”

“You’re the best, His’.”

Historia’s heart fluttered. They left class and headed for the gate. People avoided walking too close to them, so it was mostly just the two of them plus Jack right behind. Historia could hear whispers, but not the specifics of them, and Ymir’s face was starting to darken as they got closer to the gate. She saw Hitch peek from behind the gate and immediately knew something was up.

When they left school grounds, a boy appeared and suddenly chucked a bucket of liquid right into Ymir’s face. Historia covered her mouth with her hands, shocked when she realized it was dark, fresh blood. She could smell the iron of it and she immediately swayed. Jack was on the boy in an instant and had his hands cuffed behind his back. He was yelling for her to release him, but she pressed a knee down on his back and then turned to grab Ymir’s hand.

“You good?” she asked, not concerned, but serious.

Ymir’s white shirt was drenched in dark red. She swiped a hand over her face to clear the blood from her eyes, and Historia’s heart danced a little when she saw the veins around Ymir’s eyes had gone black. The whites of her sclera had gone completely black, too, and the red of her iris was nearly pulsing. Her nostrils were flaring but she didn’t lick her lips or suck the blood from her fingers, like everyone was clearly wanting her to. She did look absolutely pissed off though.

“Oh, not going to lick your fingers clean?” a voice sneered to their side.

Hitch approached them. Her expression as smug and wicked and it was like she was trying to get Ymir to attack her or something. She didn’t notice the change of Ymir’s eyes until she was too close, and then she stopped short and swallowed. Ymir was staring at her, nostrils flaring. She looked like she was about to pounce, but she stayed absolutely still. Historia worried about her temper, didn’t know how she responded to situations like this, so she reached out and took Ymir’s hands.

“Don’t, it’s bloody.”

Historia shook her head. “I don’t care.”

Ymir’s wet fingers slipped between her own. She inhaled deeply. “Nice try,” she sneered at Hitch.

Hitch’s bravado seemed to have fled. It looked like she was too scared to even move, which was very satisfying for Historia to see. “You… your face… you just… you look like a monster!”

Ymir rolled her eyes. “You threw blood in my fucking face. You fully expected me to rampage, didn’t you? You stupid asshole. Were you really that ready to sacrifice someone’s life to get a rise out of me? How fucking evil can you be? And you call me the monster.”

Jack slipped her shirt off, another one underneath, and Ymir swapped her bloody shirt for the other one. She didn’t seem to care that she was braless for a second in a busy public area. Historia blushed and averted her eyes.

Ymir wiped most of the blood off with her dirty shirt, then nodded down at Jack.

“I will report this to Hange,” Jack told her. She cut her eyes over to Hitch. “You will be charged as well.”

Hitch’s eyes widened. “What? I didn’t do anything!”

Jack gave her a startling grin. “Oh? I saw you throw the bucket myself.”

Hitch realized she had really fucked up and left quickly, her group of minions following close behind. Jack let the boy go but not without a harsh threat, and then she took Ymir into her van and they left.

Historia stood there for a while, her hand still covered in blood, until her phone rang. She answered.

“Historia, why are you standing there?”

She glanced at the last car in the parking lot and realized it was her father. She ended the call and hurried over. When she got in, her father gasped at her hand.

“It’s nothing,” she told him. “Just a nasty prank someone pulled on Ymir. I just got some of the blood on me.” She explained everything to him—leaving out her first meeting with Ymir—and he was pleasantly positive about the situation. Instead of telling her to stay away from Ymir, he said he was proud of her for standing up to the rude kids. When he told Historia’s mom, she got another round of proud compliments, and then they shared a family hug.

God, she loved her parents.

XxX

Word of what Hitch had done quickly spread through the school and news. The media immediately figured out where Ymir was the second kids started posting about her, and there were numerous articles going on about how some horrible kid had tried to get Ymir to hurt someone. Some of the articles were flaming Ymir, but most of them were on her side. It was simple: they wanted the clickbait.

Ymir was used to it. She only really had like, two weeks without a van following her around. It was suffocating to have so many people wanting to speak to her, to record her and get a picture of her or capture her for their evil plan. She just wanted to finish school and do her own thing, but she knew she would never have a normal life. Not in Elida and definitely not in Paradis.

“We have been in talks with the King,” Hange told her one evening. She was basically Ymir’s guardian, and she had been the one to successfully smuggle Ymir into Eldia and also leak her existence to the media.

Ymir pushed her food around on the plate. “Yeah?”

“I want them to let your mother over the wall.”

Ymir stilled. She stared at the flecks of pepper on her food and counted them slowly until she had her heartbeat under control. “Really?”

Hange nodded. When Ymir looked up, she noted Hange was studying her carefully. “Your mother is a vegetarian. She hasn’t had human blood since your birth. I think she won’t be dangerous, and I want you to see her again.”

Ymir’s entire body warmed all over just thinking about her mother. They had an incredibly strong bond, but they hadn’t been able to meet since Ymir had been taken into Eldia. They had a government, but they still had a King, too. He had announced that no vampire would legally enter Eldia on account of the halfling Ymir, and so no one needed to worry. They didn’t care that it was her mother.

“I… I’d love to see her.”

Hange finished her tea. “I’ve shown him that you’re a good kid, and that you aren’t dangerous. Hell, even the vampires aren’t dangerous. They have instinct and hunger, and so do we. Are humans evil for slaughtering pigs and cows? No. We send shipments of blood to Paradis every day. We can easily co-exist.”

Ymir nodded. “I agree with you Hange, but… we have this… the bloodlust.” She swallowed. “Vampires feel emotions a hundred times more intensely than humans do. Our hunger is bloodlust. For some of us, we can’t feel full unless we kill.”

Hange’s lips pressed together firmly. “You aren’t a full vampire, Ymir.”

“I know. But I’m pretty damn close. I fight the bloodlust every day, Hange. I can’t imagine what a full vampire with no morals would do given access to Eldian citizens.”

Hange remained quiet after that, contemplating. It was a little strange the way she obsessed over vampires, considering she was human. Sometimes Ymir even thought Hange would have rather been a vampire herself. But, it was nice to have someone in the world fighting for them to have rights.

“I didn’t consider that, Ymir. Thank you for disagreeing with me. For now we’re nowhere close to uniting our two kinds, but I can still work on letting you visit your mother. Even if it’s on the wall.”

Ymir nodded. “Anywhere.”

She wondered how her mother was doing, and her heart ached. She wished her father was still alive, too. She wondered what he had been like. He must have been amazing, to have fallen in love with a vampire and given her a child. Would he have taken her in? Raised her? Ymir’s heart ached even worse.

Hange left to work and Jack took her seat outside of Ymir’s door, but Ymir snuck out quietly and went to Historia’s. She felt homesick and heartsick, and the only thing she could think of to ease the ache in her chest was Historia. She didn’t sneak into her home, but she did tap lightly on her window.

Historia had been asleep. She hurried to the window the second she woke up, and when she slid the window up Ymir drowned in the comforting scent of her. She always smelt like strawberries and chocolate, and her blood always made Ymir feel hungry. Historia let her in and Ymir settled down on Historia’s bed. Without hesitating, Historia joined her and started playing with her hands.

They stayed silent for a long time. Historia was so easy to be with. She didn’t demand anything and she was always so accepting. Usually Ymir would never even consider sharing her personal thoughts with a human, but with Historia, it was easy.

“I might get to see my mother,” she blurted.

Historia’s hands stilled. “Really? That’s amazing! Is she over in Paradis?”

Ymir nodded. “They never let her over the wall with me. She’s still over there on her own.”

“Where is your dad?”

“Died before I was born. He was a wall guard.”

Historia tugged Ymir’s hands and together they climbed into her bed. Ymir hated being underneath a blanket, because it was too stifling, but for Historia she would endure it. Historia scooted closer until they were pressed together.

“That’s terrible. Why didn’t you stay in Paradis with your mom?”

Ymir took Historia’s hand and slid their fingers together. She enjoyed the feel of her skin and her small fingers. She studied the bones of Historia’s wrists and watched the blood pumping underneath her skin. “It was too dangerous for me. Some vampires really hate humans. There’s this whole extremist group that hunt humans for sport. They hate halflings even more. The village we lived in was really small but very nice. Everyone there loved me, but every time I bled, I noticed the way they stared at me. My blood… it’s different. It’s like a drug to some vampires. When I was four, a strange vampire passed through the village but he smelt me, and he tried to take me. My mother managed to escape to the wall, and there she met Hange. Hange didn’t hesitate to take me over to Eldia.”

“Hange is your guardian?”

“Yeah.”

“She must really care about you.”

Ymir’s chest tightened again. She hated feeling like this. There was a dam of emotions in her chest, just pushing against her ribcage, threatening to burst right through her skin. She took Historia’s hand and pressed it against her chest. The fabric of her shirt was incredibly thin, so Historia’s hand felt like it was on her skin. Ymir heard the hitch in Historia’s breath and the increase in her heartbeat. Her fangs ached badly, but it almost felt good.

“My chest hurts so much,” she explained softly.

Historia moved even closer and then pressed a soft kiss against Ymir’s collarbone. “It must be terrible for you.”

Ymir swallowed. She had known Historia for a month. School was a lot easier, and after everyone saw how in control she was, she received less fear and more curiosity. When people saw Historia being so comfortable around her, they wanted to see what she was like. Ymir wasn’t interested in getting to know anyone else. For her, Historia was enough. But it was nice to have other people greet her in the mornings or ask her for help in class. It felt nice to not feel like a monster amongst prey.

Historia lifted her head and rested right beside Ymir’s. Ymir could smell the emotions from her, the attraction. She knew Historia liked her that way and it set her body ablaze, but she didn’t know how she would react to anything sexual because she had never experienced anything like that before. For vampires, everything was magnified. For Ymir, it was possibly even worse.

“You’re in bed with a lion,” Ymir whispered into the quiet, dark room.

Historia inhaled shakily. “I like the lion.”

“The lion really likes you too.”

Ymir dropped Historia’s hand to lightly caress her cheek.

“Do you really see me that way?” Historia asked her. “Like a lamb?”

Ymir smiled at her, exposing her teeth. “No, but sometimes I worry that I’ll hurt you.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m always hungry when I’m around you. I can always smell your blood and I can hear your heart. My teeth always hurt.”

Historia stared at her openly, curiously. There was no disgust or repulsion. There was only acceptance. “Do you want to?”

Ymir’s heart slowed. “Want to what?”

Historia brushed her hair back from her throat and exposed it. The blood rushing there smelt amazing. “Drink my blood?”

For the first time in her life, Ymir felt like her control was slipping. She stopped breathing completely and stopped inhaling Historia’s scent. “Don’t, it’s dangerous.”

“What? I know you’ll stop.”

“I… Historia, no.”

Historia sighed. “Okay. I’m sorry for offering.”

Ymir exhaled. Every cell in her body was alight, buzzing. Her fangs had never grown so long before and her heart was beating so slowly that her ears were ringing. Historia was still looking at her with challenge, telling her she really could if she wanted to. She really, really did. But what if she lost control? She was so strong, and it took so much effort to measure her strength so that she didn’t break bones or tables or clothes. Historia was like fragile glass in her hands and she didn’t want to hurt her.

A low rumbling started in Ymir’s chest. She couldn’t stop it. She could feel her veins blackening and bulging out, and she knew her eyes had gone black. Historia didn’t look afraid at all, even when Ymir was suddenly on top of her, lips pulled back.

“I trust you, Ymir,” Historia told her.

Ymir swallowed. She could see the pulse at Historia’s throat, but when she bent down, she did not bite her. She kissed her.

The moment their lips touched, Ymir felt relief flood through her body. Her hunger for blood disappeared, replaced only by the need for Historia. It wasn’t even sexual, it was just… a craving for her touch, for her smell and her warmth and everything she was. Ymir was afraid she would drown in her, and she knew Historia would soak her in.

They kissed lazily, and when Historia’s tongue swept along the pointed tip of her fangs, over and over, she accidentally nicked herself. The sweetness of her blood flooded Ymir’s senses, but it did not overtake her. It was almost nothing—like extra sweetener in a drink. Ymir suckled on her tongue and enjoyed the taste of her, and when she pulled away it wasn’t hard to do.

Historia looked dazed and flushed.

“Historia,” Ymir started, breaths coming out in misty puffs, “I need to warn you.”

“You won’t hurt me, Ymir.”

“No, I know I won’t. It’s just… I’m a halfling, but… I don’t feel things the way humans do. I feel intensely. That’s why some vampires go berserk. The emotions can just be too much. They either go mad from them, or learn to live with them. Some even succeed in switching them off. But I… when I’m with you…” She was struggling to explain herself coherently, she knew. She was still on top of Historia. Their chests were pressed together and their shirts had ridden up, so the skin of their tummies were touching and it was heaven.

“Ymir.” Historia gently caressed her jaw. “You’re a thousand stars in my horizon.”

Ymir stared at her. She exhaled. “When I fall in love, I feel that love intensely, and I’ll never get over that love. There will be no one after and there was no one before. What I feel for you, Historia, I feel intensely.”

Historia’s beautiful face flushed darkly. “Are you saying you love me?”

Ymir bent down again to kiss her softly and brush their noses. “Is that okay?”

“Ymir… that’s… I love you too. I mean, everything is still so new and we’ll have a lot of challenges, but… I really care about you.”

Ymir took in a shaky breath. “Hange says it’ll be good PR for me to have a partner. Since I’m gay, there’s no risk of me creating another halfling child, so she says I can go for it. I just… don’t know how I’ll deal with this.”

Historia’s smile was shattering, but it pieced Ymir back together. “The way you always have,” Historia told her. “With maturity and strength.”

Ymir nuzzled against Historia’s throat. She could still smell her blood, but she no longer felt the craving of hunger. It was like her whole brain had just rewired itself to see Historia as an equal and not a meal. Ymir felt herself completely relax against Historia’s body, and she knew without a doubt that she would never hurt Historia for any reason. This confidence in herself was comforting.

“Marry me,” Ymir mumbled against her throat.

Historia laughed.

Three years later, they married for real. It was a massive media frenzy, but Hange’s prediction had been right. More people defected to Ymir’s side, to supporting her and demanding more rights for halflings like Ymir.

When a halfling baby was rescued from Paradis and brought over the wall, they didn’t hesitate to adopt her. They adopted four more after their first daughter, and lived a full, happy life—together.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for reading! Stay safe and stay loved.


End file.
